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The Post is simple, clean and focused on helping you get the most out of your work. Just like our products. A crisp column (always under 5min) that articulates stories and ideas about how we can make the most of our time and why we like to be stylish while doing it. Sometimes it will just be a ramble, something to chuckle at, or something stoic that gets you through a Monday at the office. Below this column will be a concise link aggregation list, bringing you the news and insights you need. The Post is written by me, Caspar, A+R co-founder and avid fan of all things productivity.

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Letter Number 1 

You Need a Good Network

"You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want" - Zig Ziglar.

It could be argued that having an extensive and robust network is the most powerful tool in business and life. "It's not what you know; it's who you know", etc. If this is true, this fact may be a leading indicator:

Just 3 per cent of Universities produce 90 per cent of unicorn founders.

Why? Factors like the universities selection process and the quality of the lecturers cannot be ignored. But the critical element is the people. The alumni past and present become the students' network the moment they graduate and head out into their careers. Standford is the clear winner on the list; Mar Hershenson blew me away when describing why in this eloquent talk on what creates great founders.

So it's more than just the people. It is the culture cultivated within the student body. Success is celebrated. Discussing business ideas or ways of working are encouraged. Consistently being around motivated, ambitious and intelligent people rubs off on you. The same applies to the opposite.

Do your friends, colleagues, and contacts celebrate you when you win and challenge you to do more?

Jim Rohn famously said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. This relates to the law of averages, the theory that the result of any given situation will be the average of all outcomes.

Consider your network as three circles around you, each bigger than the next.

1. Close friends. These people will impact your character and attitude more than anything else.
2. Colleagues, peers and people you play sport with. These people will impact your ability to thrive. Michael Jordon needed more than just Michael Jordon to win that many rings.
3. Contacts and acquaintances. These people will often be shortcuts to answers and introductions. According to HubSpot, 85% of jobs are filled through networking. In fact, according to CNBC, 70% of jobs are never published publicly. 

Take a moment to consider how well you have formed each of these. Think critically about how you are helping each of these people to win yourself. Cultivating these three sections to best serve your ambitions will be the highest ROI activity you do.

The barrier to entry for networking is low (just 11% of LinkedIn users have more than 100 connections - get clicking). At events, most people will eagerly smile and shake your hand if you try to say hi, compliment something small about them and then ask them questions.

Looking the part also counts for a lot - 72% of people surveyed said they were impacted by someones appearance and handshake. Nothing better than turning up to an event with an A+R product in hand.

Here are ten tips for better networking if you're an introvert.

In the News

- Successsion season 4 starting filming in June 2022, here is everything you need to know.

- How Truss v Sunak would tackle a UK recession. Big promises from Truss while Sunak wants to balance the books. While Boris shrugs his shoulders and leaves it to the next PM.

- Best online banking app, for business, Revolut a clear winner.

- Why Meta’s move from friends to virality is an existential threat for Facebook.

- M&S named as official tailor for England men’s and women’s football teams.

- The All In podcast discusses recessions, if we are in one and what the markets may do next.

- A 3 ep BBC series on Murdoch that cannot be missed.

- Here's a cool little read time calculator I found when writing this.

- Heart warming news; a pod of dolphins have saved a man from a killer shark.

We would be so grateful if you shared The Post with anyone who may find some Monday morning value from it each week.

Thank you, have a good week, Caspar.